Madawaska, Maine
Location of Madawaska, Maine
Coordinates: 47°19′10″N 68°17′52″W / 47.31944, -68.29778
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Aroostook
Area
- Total	56.5 sq mi (146.2 km²)
- Land	55.7 sq mi (144.2 km²)
- Water	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²)
Elevation	971 ft (296 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	4,534
- Density	81.5/sq mi (31.5/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04756
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-42520
GNIS feature ID	0582576

Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,534 at the 2000 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston in Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge. Today many of its residents speak French; 83.4% of the population speak French at home. Madawaska is the northernmost town in New England and is the northeastern most town in the continental United States. It has nearly the same latitude as Federal Way, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, but is significantly colder in the winter. Summers are somewhat warmer and dryer.^{[citation needed]}

Madawaska is a rural town whose economy centers around the paper industry. Canadian corporation Fraser Paper has a large facility located in Madawaska which processes the pulp produced by Fraser's main plant in Edmundston. The pulp is shipped across the border through a mile-long high pressure pipeline running between both facilities, and is made into paper in Madawaska. The Madawaska mill specializes in fine-grade papers. The town's economy is highly dependent upon cross-border trade, to the extent that Madawaksa and its larger sister city of Edmundston are considered under many aspects as a single economic entity.^{[citation needed]}

Madawaska is the home of a large annual Acadian festival.

History

Madawaska was at the center of the bloodless Aroostook War. Madawaska Historical Society

Notable People

Clarence White, guitarist of the rock group The Byrds, was born in Madawaska.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.5 square miles (146.2 km²), of which, 55.7 square miles (144.2 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (1.42%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 4,534 people, 1,993 households, and 1,301 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.5 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 2,362 housing units at an average density of 42.4/sq mi (16.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.15% Black , 0.44% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.20% of the population.

There were 1,993 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,994, and the median income for a family was $42,269. Males had a median income of $46,117 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,552. About 7.5% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Madawaska's schools serve Madawaska, St. David, and Grand Isle. The Madawaska Elementary School has students from pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade. Madawaska Middle/High School contains grades 6 through 12.

See also

• Madawaska (CDP), Maine
• French in the United States

References

1. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Town of Madawaska
• Madawaska School Department

Coordinates: 47°22′37.07″N, 68°19′41.13″W